Cute
by Grand Puba of All The Smurfs
Summary: The ladies of the lab discuss who they think is cute. GSR, Landers, implied NickCath, Wedges, and Handy.


"Okay, I've got it!" Ronnie Lake yelped, disturbing the thoughtful silence that previously gripped the room. Beside her, Sara Sidle looked up from her notebook and glanced at the younger woman.

"Got what?" She asked boredly. Ronnie was new to the Las Vegas Crime Lab, only having been there for no more than a few months, but already Sara could place her as talkative and, at times, more cheerful than one should on a CSIs' salary.

"Remember when you asked me who in the lab I thought was cute?" Ronnie said, tucking her black hair behind her ear and smiling.

"No." Sara replied, although she did vaguely recall asking that as an attempt at lighthearted conversation, and even then it was morning and she was barely aware of the dead corpse sprawled before her.

"Well, you did," Ronnie chirped, "And I know who." The early-twenty-something-year-old propped her elbows on the table and leaned forward so that Sara had no choice but to pay attention.

"Alright, who?" Sara asked patiently, if not warily.

"First, who have to tell me."

"Tell you what?"

"Who you think is cute!" Ronnie's voice had reached a ridiculously high pitch in her excitement to the quant little game she wove.

"I don't think anyone here is cute." Sara mumbled, glancing longingly down at her open notebook, the crisp white pages littered with penciled facts and notes.

"Of course you do, you have to! There's some hotties around here!" The young CSI grinned awkwardly; she knew she had passed a line between the two age gaps of herself and Sara. Instead of the expected growl or grunt, Sara chuckled lightheartedly.

"I'm not saying there isn't, I'm just saying there's nobody that catches my attention." She mused, reached back for her near-nub of a pencil. She nearly sighed when Ronnie began to talk again.

"Oh, come on, Sara, there has to be _someone_! If you tell me, I'll tell you!"

"Tell what?" A voice asked from behind. Ronnie and Sara whipped around to find Catherine Willows standing at the room's door, leaning against the frame with a bemused expression on her face. The strawberry blonde's motherly tone had replaced her default one.

"Who she thinks is cute in the lab!" Ronnie squealed, before Sara could shush her. Catherine laughed and scurried to sit in a chair across from the other two.

"Who _do_ you think is cute?" The older woman asked the younger ones. Sara sent a scornful look to her, while Ronnie's grin grew.

"Come on, Sara, tell me!" She begged, dropping her head to the tabletop and feigning a sob. Sara let a mischievous smiled spread across her face.

"Why doesn't Catherine tell us who _she _thinks is cute?" She asked, holding back a mocking chuckle. Catherine smiled too.

"Okay, I will." She stated boldly, puffing out her chest and putting a hand to her hip. Ronnie smiled and leaned in, a curious Sara following suit.

"Ready?" Catherine whispered, so that the two others had to lean in closer. They nodded eagerly.

"Okay…is it just me, or is Nick just the hottest cowboy in the desert?"

"NICK, NO--" Ronnie began to scream, but both Sara and Catherine jumped her, covering her mouth with their hands and madly shushing her. Nick Stokes had just entered the building, which could be seen from outside the glass window in the room. His short brown hair fell over his eyes as he greeted a passing lab tech, no doubt asking for test results. Ronnie nodded in understanding and the four hands grasping her slackened and fell away.

"Nick, now way!" She yelped, quietly, this time. Catherine grinned and nodded like a school girl, giggling. Even Sara smiled at the thought of Catherine and Nick together. It was odd, but doable…

"What about Nick?" Another voice toppled over the rest; the three CSIs turned to see Wendy Simms and Mandy Webster standing in the doorway, lab coats on, blinking at their superiors. It had been the monotone voice of Wendy that had spoken, but it was now the squeaky voice of Mandy taking it's toll.

"Whatcha guys talking about?" She asked, adjusting her red glasses on her nose and smiling. The three seated women exchanged glances. On normal occasions, the CSIs and lab techs kept a certain distance. But that rule had somehow been broken at the beginning of Greg Sander's reign, and continued on after his departure. Besides, in the universal girl talk, it didn't matter what your job was as long as you had hit puberty.

"Who you think is hot in the lab." Catherine informed, folding her hands in front of her. Wendy and Mandy yelped in excitement and dragged two new chairs out of seemingly nowhere, off to join the chat.

"Okay, okay, okay! Who here thinks Henry is just the cutest nerd-boy ever?" Mandy grinned, clapping cheerfully. Wendy crinkled her nose.

"Dumbo? Do you know how long it'll take to nibble his ear?" She asked, causing Catherine and Ronnie to burst out laughing, and Sara to snort back one of her own.

Mandy, however, was not amused. "I love those big elephant ears! It's what makes him so adorable!" She yelled, folding her arms and pouting. Wendy laughed.

"I guess I can't really talk, I think Stumpy is cute." She admitted, and Ronnie gave her a quizzing stare.

"Who's Stumpy?" She asked.

"Hodges."

"Hodges? Why do you call him Stumpy?"

"I don't know why, he just reminds me of a tree stump." The other women mumbled ion agreement. Sara laughed in joy.

"Okay, Ronnie, what about you?" She asked. Ronnie blinked in mock stupidity.

"What about me?" She asked, her voice the soundtrack of innocence.

"You know! Who do you think is cute?" Sara was enjoying herself now, leaning across the table and grinning like a fool. Ronnie smiled bashfully.

"You'll make fun of me…" She mumbled.

"Of course we will, you know that! Anyway, you started it!" Catherine pointed out, reaching over to grip the younger girl's arm. She sighed.

"Fine…well…Greg is kinda…" Instead of the squeals and giggles the other men had earned, this one entered gracefully with nothing but silence. Ronnie frowned.

"What?" She asked.

"Duh." Mandy mumbled to Wendy, who nodded.

"What?" Ronnie asked again. Catherine answered.

"You like him." She stated, plain and simple. Ronnie's mouth formed a curved 'o'.

"Do not!" She yelled defensively, picking her head up from the table.

"Do too!" Catherine shot back. Sara, Wendy, and Mandy nodded in unison, fighting back grins. It was a battle they were loosing.

"I just said I thought he was cute!" Ronnie snapped, making to get up. Sara reached over and pulled her back down.

"Ron, it's so obvious you have a crush on him it's not even funny!" Mandy said, but despite her words she was chuckling in the back of her throat. Ronnie yelped.

"So what if I do? Catherine has a crush on Nick!" She jabbed an accusatory finger into the blonde's face.

"Yeah, but that's different." Sara supplied.

"How!?!"

"I've been married, I have a child, and Nick's already got a girlfriend." Catherine reeled off the list, using her fingers to emphasize.

"How's that different?" Ronnie asked.

"You were never married, you don't have a kid, and Greg's single." Mandy clucked her tongue in mock.

"What about Greg?" Another voice interrupted the quad's chirps. Only this time it was deeper.

It was Greg Sanders, in all his spiky-blonde, Blue Hawaiian glory. Ronnie's heart nearly left a mark on her chest, it was beating so fast.

"Um…nothing! We were just--" She began, only to be cut off by Sara.

"Ronnie, can I talk to you?" She asks. Grateful, Ronnie nods and the two lead into the corner of the room, leaving the others to talk.

"Ask him out." Sara barked, turning to face her coworker. Ronnie gaped.

"What? Are you serious?" She stuttered, eyes wandering over to Greg, who was idly fiddling with a hackysack he had pulled from his pocket.

"Hell yeah, I am!" Sara hissed. Ronnie could only stare in disbelief.

"And why should I?" She asked, eyebrow raised. Sara grinned.

"Because then I'll tell you who I think is cute." She said mischievously, leaning from one foot to the other. Ronnie thought this over.

"Fine. Hey, Greg!" She yelled over to the ex-lab rat, who looked her way and raised an eyebrow in response. Ronnie walked over.

"Yeah?" He asked. Ronnie paused before answering.

"Um…do you maybe…I dunno…wanna go to a movie sometime…with me?" She stuttered out. A silence fogged the room.

Greg blinked a few times before answering. "Um…sure." Ronnie blinked in disbelief. He actually said yes? Her Greg--_Greg, _just _Greg_--had agreed to go on a DATE with her, Veronica Lake? If this had been freshman year in high school, she and her friends Tiffany and Claire would've been screaming and jumping and booking a chair at some fancy salon.

"Really? I mean," She coughed, "Cool, yeah. Friday?" He nodded, and for a moment, both Ronnie and Greg just stood there, rocking slightly, not knowing what to say.

"See you then." Ronnie exclaimed.

"Alright, then." Greg said, and with a turn of his heel and left. Ronnie could've sworn she heard a whoop from around the hall.

The minute he was out of earshot, Mandy, Wendy, and Catherine screamed and gathered around the blushing Ronnie, squealing and asking her various questions.

During this time of girl talk, Sara took the opportunity to slip away unnoticed. Down the halls she went, past the labs and interrogation rooms and offices, until she was in front of her designated room.

"Hey." She greeted the person inside. Gil Grissom looked up from his paper and smiled.

"Hello." He said, taking his glasses off. Sara leaned against the big oak desk and laughed a bit. "What? He asked, bemused.

"Nothing." Sara grinned, plopping down on a single chair opposite the desk.

"Tell me." Gil commanded, leaning forward and resting his chin on his intertwined fingers. Sara chuckled.

"Just talking to Ronnie." She said in a sing-song voice, twiddling her thumbs together. Gil raised his eyebrows curiously.

"About what?" He inquired.

"Girl stuff." She mused, smiling like a fool.

"What kind of girl stuff?" Gil asked, annoyed. Sara guffawed.

"Boys. Who we thought was cute."

"And who'd you say?" He asked.

"Well…" Sara thought for a moment, "Mandy said Henry."

"Obviously." Gil nodded. Sara gave a cheeky smile.

"Wendy liked Hodges."

"Of course."

"Catherine said Nick."

"I knew it!"

"I know! Anyway, then Ronnie said Greg." At this, Gil laughed.

"I always sensed that. And who'd you say?"

"Warrick. I like 'em dark."

"Sara!"

Sara laughed, leaned forward, and gave Gil a kiss.

"Come on, you know you're the cutest guy I know."

A\N-Told you, I don't do fluff well, but thought this'd be worth a laugh. Enjoy.


End file.
